SC reserves verdict on review petitions in sacked employees case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has reserved verdict in the review petitions in sacked employees case after listening to the arguments, ARY News reported on Thursday.

A five-member larger bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin and Justice Aminuddin Khan heard the review petitions in sacked employees case.

The Supreme Court (SC) reserved verdict in review petitions filed in a case related to the termination of 16,000 government employees. The verdict will be announced by the top court on Friday (tomorrow).

The top court maintained that it will be ensured to stop the entrance of people into the constitutional institutions in an illegal way.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked that the court was expecting solid arguments from the attorney general. He observed that the employees had been sacked from 1997 to 1999 and the terminated employees had gotten new jobs during this period.

The SC judge remarked that the judiciary is guarding the legislation of the state. He maintained that the court will give its verdict on its own if no assistance was provided for the act. Justice Bandial remarked that the case has now out of the jurisdiction of just a review petition.

Justice Bandial remarked that the verdict will be given on Friday (tomorrow).

In the previous hearing, the SC had deferred the verdict in a review petition filed in sacked employees case after receiving the recommendations from the federal government.

In the recommendations, the government had stated to restore employees from Grade 1 to 7 and conduct tests of Grade 8 to 17 employees within three months.

It had been recommended to give permanent employment to those who have passed the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) test. In its response, the government had stated that the parliament has powers to make a decision ineffective.

The attorney general had apprised the top court that he submitted the recommendations after holding consultations with Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Justice Sajjad Ali Shah remarked that the top court will mull over the government’s recommendations whether they are affecting the court orders or not.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked that the court will give its opinion over the recommendations on Thursday.

It is to be noted that a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam on August 17 declared the Sacked Employees (Reinstatement) Act, 2010 as unconstitutional after it was enacted for reinstating the employees who were appointed from Nov 1, 1993, till Nov 30, 1996, and was sacked by the then government from Nov 1, 1996, till Oct 12, 1999.